The Cold & The Crystallized
by LynxMasterx
Summary: Things have greatly changed in Konohagakure... Or so Yamanaka Ino thought... When friendships are tested and love becomes a death wish, will Ino grasp strength for her heart and Sasuke's? A SASUINO STORY
1. Chapter 1: Changed

** ...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 1: Changed

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata**

Pairing(s): **slight SasuSaku**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

It's been 3 years since the shinobi world had claimed peace and every country was happy. The Land of Fire was at its peak in their standing amongst the other countries and its main hidden village was giving birth to the most elite groups of shinobi and ever since Uzumaki Naruto claimed the position as Hokage, the village's growth was intense.

One of the outgoing news across Konohagakure was the fact that the international S-ranked criminal has receded from his crimes and took place as an ANBU member in the village; Uchiha Sasuke. Thus, his comrades were very glad to have him back. Although he kept up in getting on the Lord Hokage's nerves, he had several changes in his personality and tried very hard to break the icy walls isolating him from his friends and newly confessed girlfriend. Haruno Sakura couldn't be any happier to be 'Sasuke's girl' even if she still had feelings for Naruto.

In the midst of the 3 years, Yamanaka Ino was buried in insane envy towards Sakura but it died down slowly and steadily. So, in the end, everyone was happy.

Until a shattering love story began…

Yamanaka Ino walked along the village's main road with a bouquet of flowers in her arms. She took her time in her steps, one at a time. It's not as if she was rushing or anything. She was wearing her casual clothes; a peach t-shirt, white pants. It was nothing flashy although she liked to wear something which was more noticeable. She could've worn her red, spicy dress or a pink tank-top which revealed her stomach and most of her back.

But it would totally piss Sakura off.

And they've just made peace with each other and Ino wasn't stupid to go and ruin it all over again.

Ino was deep in her thoughts when she stumbled with Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji; her best friends even if they did start off annoyingly.

"Ino, _where_ are you going?" Shikamaru playfully asked when he saw Ino walking past the turn she should've taken.

Ino blinked a few times before turning around and saw her absolutely lazy-butt friend with Chouji as he stuffed his mouth with potato chips. Be warned to never call him 'fat' even though he is, "Wha…Oh, Shikamaru it's you. What's up?"

"You _do_ know that you're heading the wrong way, do you?"

Ino looked around her and blushed, "I…I know that! Don't pull that smart-filled face of yours at me!" She headed towards the two boys and headed for the Uchiha manor.

It was the 23rd July and it was a special day; coincidentally, it was Sasuke's birthday hosted specially by the Hokage himself. It was an honourable thing for the Hokage to do something such as this for a mere shinobi but the Hokage himself was a complete dunce at times anyway.

Shikamaru, bored at the silence of the walk, came up with a chat, "Hey Ino, why aren't you dressed up for this? I thought you loved coming up with new fashion statement especially on celebrations."

Ino made a look, "I was just not in the mood for it. Anyway, I don't want to show off in front of Sakura."

Chouji almost choked at his potato chips, "Why is that?"

"I don't want to end our friendship because of me anymore. I'm tired of it."

"You've changed Ino," Shikamaru complimented.

"I know," Ino boasted before playfully skipping up front.

Shikamaru and Chouji sighed, "_That_ part of her has not changed one bit."

The 3 came across the manor a few moments later. The manor was crowded with familiar faces and it was decorated with white, blue and red streamers and there were tables and chairs arranged for the guests. Surely Naruto and Sakura did a good job for their friend, Ino thought. Ino saw Inuzuka Kiba walking alongside with Hyuga Hinata and called for them, "Kiba! Hinata, over here!"

"What's up, Ino?" Kiba said as he and Hinata got closer.

"Uh, hello Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji," Hinata said being as shy as she have always been.

"Don't you play innocent with me you two. You guys haven been going out for a few weeks haven't you?" Ino provoked.

Hinata blushed shyly as Kiba stuttered, "Wha…what are you talking about, Ino?? We…we're…we're only coming here together as…uh…_friends_!"

"Uh-huh. Please kindly explain why are you two holding hands, _friends_?" Ino eyed at Kiba and Hinata's hands which clasped with each other in a soft but belonged grip. The hands quickly separated as Ino laughed.

"Mind your own business Ino. The two are together, so what? It's only troublesome," Shikamaru criticised in his ever-so-lazy tone. Ino glared at him.

"Oh, so you're pretending you have never kissed Temari before?" Ino teased as the lazy-butt blushed.

"H…How the heck did you-,"

"I'm _very _observant, Shikamaru. Grow up and notice that already."

"C…Cut it out, you two. We are at the party for Sasuke so, uh, let's get inside," Hinata softly persuaded them (especially Kiba).

"Speaking of Sasuke, Ino, are you still…jealous?" Chouji asked before Shikamaru hit his head.

"Idiot! Don't say that to her!"

Ino stood in silence. The bouquet, consisting of white daisies, was gripped tighter in her arms. Shikamaru flashed a worried look; so as Hinata who knew well to be jealous at times. In the past, Ino had been _very_ jealous when she saw Sakura kissing Sasuke. Even if Ino did playfully tease Sakura then, it was only the _tip_ of her envy. As Shikamaru was the second closest person to Ino apart from Sakura, she has once told him on how much she hated the two's relationship so much she had planned for vengeance. But as the days passed, Ino's jealousy was washed away bit by bit. Shikamaru was fond of Ino's change but he knew well that the mention of the word 'jealous' scarred her _deeply_.

Shikamaru reached out for Ino's shoulder, "Ino, are you-"

"I _am_ jealous," Ino said, "I'm very jealous, but I don't want this feeling to corrupt my friendship with Sakura!"

Her words burst out with true energy, "I'm tired of playing warfare with her and I know from the _second_ I met her she was better for Sasuke than me. In fact, they are closer to each other. I'm envious but I've changed like you said, Shikamaru! I've changed so I won't be sad. Trust me, you guys."

Kiba smirked, "You're strong, and I'll give you that, Ino."

"Thanks Kiba. Now, let's get in won't we?" Ino said perkily.

She _was_ jealous. Very. But she wouldn't want it to be an obstacle for her life. She knew well that it wasn't her style. And her style was _always_ the top.

* * *

**So...this is the first chapter of my newest story, _The Cold and The Crystallized_, and it's a fresh-start fanfic of mine... I was thinking of creating a SasuNaru fanfic before I got hold of SasuIno but I just couldn't get the idea of the storyline...**

**I love SasuIno and in fact, it's my favourite girl/boy pairing in Naruto... I just had to use it for a fanfic after watching a video on YouTube... I hope the first chapter made a good start since there will be more to come and I assure you that I will try my best in making every chapter a good read. **

**So, if you like the story, fav & review! Thnx!**

**-_Amaranthyz_**


	2. Chapter 2: Envy

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 2: Envy

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru**

Pairing(s):** SasuSaku, slight ShikaIno**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

Ino made her way into the Uchiha manor. She held the bouquet close to her chest to avoid damaging it from hitting the people in the massive crowd. It was a really big party and almost half of the shinobi in the village was there. Ino, however, was not surprised. Sasuke's return had become the _biggest_ news over the past 3 years and when he finally revealed his birth date, both Sakura and Naruto anxiously waited for the day to come and voila! It has arrived.

After a full five minutes in the crowd, Ino finally saw Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru by the house's veranda.

"Ah! Ino, you made it!" Sakura called out as Ino came nearer.

"Yeah, I did. Wait, how did _you_ get here so fast, Shikamaru?!" Ino glared at Shikamaru who chuckled in humour.

"That is a _secret_," Shikamaru laughed once more, "I'll catch you guys later. I have to see Chouji whether he munches the food or the food-table."

The group laughed before Shikamaru made jumped up to the walls and walked on it using chakra. Ino made a face after seeing his technique. He was clearly a smart guy, that Shikamaru. Over the distance she could hear Chouji's munching at the food section. She had great friends and she never doubted that.

"So Ino, glad you could come," Sakura continued.

"Glad I did," Ino said and looked at Sasuke who was leaning against a pillar, "This is for you. Happy birthday," She handed the flowers to the Uchiha. He took it with a smile, _surprisingly_.

"Thanks, Ino. I appreciate it," Sasuke thanked her. Ino had to admit, it was not only her self that had changed. Sasuke has become more outgoing, kinder and he smiled a lot. She was right about his isolating walls being destroyed. He was a new Sasuke and Ino was sure _everyone_ loved to have him around now.

Ino replied his thank with a smile. She was controlling herself as a matter of fact. With Sakura beside her, Ino wanted to be sure that she wasn't _overdoing_ anything which could ruin their friendship. But Ino had to self-admit that not being envious was very hard and tiring. It was as if she was carrying a boulder on her back and she was walking endlessly whenever she faced Sakura. Even so, Ino tried her best and she had found it to be alright after a moment.

"Hey you guys, I'm _very_ hungry now so I leave it to you both to host this party," Naruto complained, "I've just signed 400 copies of admission letters to Kirigakure and my hand hurts and my leg hurts and my stomach's rumbling. Where's the ramen?"

Sakura hit his arm with her elbow and gave him a look before pointing him towards the food section. Naruto's eyes widened and he made his way towards the ramen. To Ino's vision, it seemed as if he 'hopped' his way to the ramen.

"That guy is _definitely_ too young for a Hokage's position," Ino said.

"Well said," Sasuke agreed.

"Wasn't the one who they first elected as Hokage was Kakashi-sensei? I mean _clearly_ they forgot about him."

"Kakashi joined the ANBU to retake his place as a Ninja hound trainer."

"Hmm, too bad."

"Not really," Sasuke made a face.

"Why?"

"If it isn't reading the documents, he'd be in the office reading those Icha Icha Paradise books again. It was his old habit and they say old habits die hard."

Ino stared at him for a while and laughed, "That is so true! I can't believe you still remember!"

"I kind of stumbled to him around the village. He was reading the final volume of that thing. He seemed sad it was the final."

"Kakashi has never changed huh?"

"Nope."

The two had a very simple chat and Ino realised that she was enjoying it. Not in a flirty way but more like a conversation between two good friends; no more, no less. Sasuke was very easy to talk to unlike when they first met. Ino still remembered how Sasuke coldly rejected any talks with almost anyone he met and one of them was Ino her self.

But someone didn't consider it as simple.

"Okay!" Sakura exclaimed, "Sasuke, the guests might want to talk with you so let's get going shall we?"

Sakura grabbed the bouquet that Sasuke had been holding and gave it to Ino, "Ino, you can put this on the table over there. It's where you put the presents, okay?" She quickly pulled Sasuke into the crowd ignoring Ino instantly. The blonde realised what she had done and hit her head with her palm.

"Stupid, _stupid_ me!"

----

Sakura took Sasuke's hand and led him into the massive crowd of people. She couldn't help the funny feeling inside of her and just let her instincts lead the way.

"Sakura," Sasuke called out for the pink-haired girl.

Sakura turned around to face him. He had a confused look, "What is it Sasuke? You're not feeling well?"

"That's _my_ line exactly. Why'd you bail out on Ino like that? You two had another catfight?"

"Huh? Um, no! I haven't gotten into a fight with anyone for the week," the funny feeling washed across her again.

"So why did you treat Ino like that?"

"Sasuke, are you saying you're worried for her?"

"Maybe. But I'm more worried on what's up in your head right now."

Sakura sighed and took a few breaths before, "Sasuke, I'm just so happy that you're celebrating after almost 12 years of isolation. You know what I mean," Sakura saw the hurt look on Sasuke's face, "My point is, everyone here has come to celebrate your birth. You should be happy. If you're not then, I'm not happy."

After a few seconds of thoughts, Sasuke pecked Sakura's lips which instantly caught almost all of the guests' attention. The house was filled with anxious questions, laughter and smiles at Sasuke's kiss. The girls were insanely green in envy but Sakura had to admit, she loved it when Sasuke and her were the in the centre of attention. But little did Sakura notice that her actions were the first to be seen and hurt her best friend standing 5 feet behind them.

----

Her icy blue eyes have seen a lot of painful situations in her 19 years of lifetime, but this time, just looking in front of her felt as if there were hundreds of knives never-endingly stabbing her chest simultaneously. Ino had to grip hard on the glass of orange juice she was holding. She was jealous, she wanted to shout the three words out loud and admit but an arm that stretched around her shoulders and pulled her away from the commotion calmed her feelings.

Shikamaru had Ino's face buried in his upper chest. He looked at Sasuke and Sakura who were blushing at the guests' compliments in disgust.

"Ino, we should just go now," Shikamaru whispered. He felt his chest getting wet, "I'll walk you back home if you-."

"Its fine, Shikamaru," Ino said. She pulled back from his grip and wiped the tears off her cheeks and smiled at her friend. Shikamaru's eyebrows narrowed at Ino's wry smile.

"Come on Ino. You don't expect to stay and-."

"I'm stronger than you think Shikamaru," Ino cut him off again, "I came here to celebrate Sasuke's birthday and I will _not_ let jealousy stop me; I told you that."

And she _meant_ it.

* * *

**I seriously love the small ShikaIno moment in the ending... It's my 2nd fav pairing for Ino and we all know that Shikamaru cares for his comrades... And the pun about Chouji munching the food or the food-table was inspired by my younger brother who happened to have quite the appetite at dinner. XD**

**So, in this chapter it was also revealed that Ino and the others are 19 years-old... But it's just a fact you should notice... Sometimes people would want to know their age and stuff so, yeah... I hope that you enjoyed the 2nd chapter as well as the first... Reviews are appreciated!**

**_-Amaranthyz_**


	3. Chapter 3: Truth

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 3: Truth

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke**

Pairing(s): **-**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

Shikamaru watched closely as Ino walked towards Sasuke and Sakura amongst the crowd with that fake smile of hers. He had been Ino's best friend since they were only Genins and he knew her well enough that she was strong on the outside but _very_ fragile on the inside. Seeing her forcing herself was not a good sight.

"She's going all-out on them huh?" Chouji asked in between munching a bowl of fries he had in his arms.

"What do you expect, Chouji? It's Ino we're talking about. She'll kill us if we tried to stop her."

"But I _hate_ that smile of hers. It's way creepier than her angry eyes."

Shikamaru hesitated, "I know, pal. I know."

"You know _what_?" a new voice entered the conversation. Naruto came by them with his hands on his hips.

"Naruto," Shikamaru and Chouji chanted slowly.

"You were talking about 'I know' something right? What's up?" Naruto asked with his ever-so perked up voice.

"Nothing you'd be of concern," Shikamaru said before turning around along with Chouji. The last thing they wanted now was for more people to stop Ino in her determined path of change. And this fellow with the blonde hair and whiskers could change a mosquito into a butterfly in milliseconds. Naruto grabbed Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Shikamaru, I'm not a total idiot. From your face and where you were looking at all concluded to me that you two were talking about…Ino?"

Shikamaru and Chouji's jaws dropped in shock. Naruto laughed out loud at their reaction, "It's _true_?! Man, I was just guessing!"

"You bastard," Shikamaru said. He thought for a while and sighed, "Yes, you're right. We were talking about Ino. Anything else the Hokage needs to know?"

"Just the problem you were talking about."

Chouji leaned against Shikamaru, "He's good. You should just tell him."

The Chuunin-strategist glared at Chouji. The human munching machine made a "what?" gesture. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes again at his friend before he looked at Naruto, "Could you keep a secret?"

"If it's very important, you can trust me."

"Hmm…," Shikamaru took a glance to Ino who was talking 'cheerfully' to a group of girls. Sasuke and Sakura were just in the opposite side of the room. Before he knew it, Shikamaru had explained everything to Naruto from the part where Ino started to change and her goal. The blonde fascinatingly listened obediently and made clear reactions that it was interesting.

"Now, you keep it shut!" Shikamaru warned him before walking away with Chouji. Naruto watched them, frowning when his glance caught Sasuke and Sakura who were holding hands and laughing. Naruto truly understood Ino since, like her, he wanted to get over his feelings for Sakura. When Sakura hugged him and told him the news about her and Sasuke, Naruto had to force a smile which felt as if the 'fox' inside him was rattling the cage; _dying_ to get out more than ever.

The blonde shook his head and walked past the crowd over to Ino. He caught Ino's hand and the girl shot a surprised look at him, "Oh, it's you Naruto. What's up?"

"Can I talk to you for a second? Just for a bit," without hesitation, Naruto dragged her outside the manor near to the exit. It was already getting dark as the sun set to welcome twilight.

"What are you up to Naruto?" Ino asked as soon as they stopped, "If it's another one of those lame jokes you've been saving for the Medical-corps then just for-,"

"I know."

Ino blinked twice, "What?"

"I know that you're jealous of Sasuke and Sakura but wouldn't admit."

The blonde girl stared at the guy whose face was dead serious. She sighed, "What are you talking about? Did you eat right?"

"Don't joke around, Ino!" Naruto shouted directly at her face causing her to step back. He buried his face in his palm before he said, "I understand the pain you're going through. I'm here to tell you that it's wrong."

"What do you know?"

"I know that you love Sasuke and it's not your old obsessive crush."

That struck Ino right through her chest as an aching wound. She looked straight into his eyes and found nothing but solemnity. After a moment, Ino bent her head and looked away from Naruto, "It's useless."

"No it's not! Look Ino, I'm not close to you or anything but I know how you feel. I love Sakura but she wouldn't even look at me after getting Sasuke."

Ino gasped. The way Naruto pronounced the last sentence had a painful sound. Ino was experienced in controlling and sensing chakra and felt his somehow being scarred at the mention of Sakura.

"Ino," Naruto slowly called. Ino turned back to look at him, "I hate it when my comrades are hurt. So just go and fess up to Sasuke, okay?"

Before Ino had the chance to say anything, Naruto patted her shoulders and walked back into the party. Ino was shocked; very. It was the first time she saw Naruto that way and for a reason, he looked...incredibly hurt. Ino has seen him getting his butt-kicked real hard in fights but this pain she felt from his words was too different. It scared her.

He was a dunce; total dunce. But he was a very understanding dunce at that. Ino smiled and swayed her gaze at Naruto who had a cheerful smile on his face, talking to Sakura and Sasuke as if the conversation she had with him never existed. But she was not confident enough to go and confess now; or ever.

"Sorry Naruto, but I'm not as tough as you."

Ino slowly walked to Shikamaru and Chouji who had been watching them from the food-table. At least Shikamaru was.

"I'm going home," Ino said.

Shikamaru sighed, "I'll walk you home, okay?"

"No Shikamaru. It's fine, really."

Ino walked out of the manor and out into the night sky. It was only around 7 or 8 but Ino felt very tired. She (ironically) wanted her bed. She began walking with her wry smile before a tear fell from her left eye. Ino quickly wiped it off and inhaled a big breath. She summoned her smile again and looked forward when a grip on her elbow startled her. Ino turned and saw Sasuke's dark onyx eyes.

"S…Sasuke?"

"Where do you think _you're_ going?"

* * *

**I love the beginning and the ending of this chapter, that's for sure... =D**

**I seriously hope that the 3 chapters are not too slow or even, too fast but I want to take it steadily and explain the situations to avoid misunderstandings or unclear information... So, I hope Ino doesn't seem too emotional or anything but her jealousy was exactly referred to how I was jealous with a past crush.. Haha! Sorry.. Reviews are appreciated like heck!**

**-_Amaranthyz_**


	4. Chapter 4: Red Roses

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 4: Red Roses

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Uchiha Sasuke, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Inoichi**

Pairing(s): **slight SasuSaku, slight ShikaIno**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

Sasuke's grip on Ino's elbow was hard as if he hated seeing her leaving. The thought stunned Ino for a while when she got back on track.

"I'm…I'm going home. I'm not feeling so good," Ino lied. At least half of it but Sasuke didn't buy it and raised an eyebrow.

"The party was too wild for you?"

"No. I'm just tired, sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"For leaving without telling the host, sorry. Can I go now?"

Sasuke softened the grip but he was still keeping a hold of it, "Ino, what's-."

"Sasuke? Ino?" Sakura called out from the house. She jogged towards them and looked at Sasuke, "What's going on?"

"Ino's not feeling well. I'm going to walk her home, just in case," Sasuke bluntly said.

"Wha…? No, I really don't think-," Ino tried protesting when Sakura eyed her.

"No, it's okay. But Sasuke, promise me you'll hurry back home okay? I don't want to be alone in the house all night."

Ino's head spun at Sakura in a millisecond. They are living together? Ino pulled back her arm that was still in Sasuke's hold harshly which almost caused him to fall.

"Sasuke, are you alright?!" Sakura asked her boyfriend before looking at Ino, "Hey! Watch what you were doing, Ino-pig!"

Ino's eyes widened. Sakura hasn't called her that for _3 years_ now. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Sakura, "Sakura, it wasn't her fault."

"I'm sorry Sasuke. The guests wants you, go in. I want to talk with Ino. I won't get angry, I promise," Sakura assured him. Sasuke looked at Ino once before heading back to the manor.

Sakura's smile faded and at what seemed as a strike of lightning, Sakura's palm left a red bruise on Ino's cheek.

"Listen here Ino-pig, I'm not trying to find a fight with you but since you asked for it, I won't go easy in this! What were you getting here? Trying to seduce _my_ boyfriend with your old schemes?! You _slut_!"

Sakura spun around and rushed back to the party. Ino was left on her knees; shocked at Sakura's slap. The pain on her cheek was intense but it didn't surpass the pain in her chest. Frightening throbs began to juggle inside her and her eyes got watery. Ino tried wiping them off and stood up. She laid her fingers on her cheek and the sizzling heat of the hit was burning her skin. But Ino accepted it wholeheartedly. If she was in Sakura's place, she might've done the same thing.

But if I understood her, why am I crying so hard? Ino breathed in a couple of breaths before smiling to herself and walked on. She was not about to cry again today nor tomorrow.

----

Ino woke up the next morning at the sound of birds chirping outside her window. It was very common for her to wake up and find a few birds greeting her since her house was almost covered with flowers and plants. She loved the place where she lived and her family's flower shop.

"Speaking of the shop, do I have any missions today?" Ino asked herself and smiled, "Nope! So the shop's mine, haha!"

After getting a nice morning bath, she put on her favourite violet tank-top and white skirt before tying her long blonde hair in the usual ponytail. She skipped down the stairs and into the shop as she saw her father, Yamanaka Inoichi unlocking the shop's door.

"Good morning, dad!" Ino greeted her father with a hug.

"Good morning, princess," He looked at Ino's clothing and said, "You don't have any missions today?"

"Nope, so can I watch over the shop? I'm bored."

Inoichi chuckled, "Sure, go right ahead but try not to over-do it. I'm heading out to the Forest of Death to check on the plants there with Shikaku. Oh, some new tea-roses are coming in this afternoon so I hope you'll take care of them okay?"

"Got it dad and _please_ take care of yourself," Ino assured her father as Inoichi walked out of the shop. Ino still remembered her first Chuunin exams in the Forest of Death. It was _never_ a pretty memory. Ino made her way behind the counter and put on an apron before watering the flowers in the shop. The flowers glimmer beautifully in the sunlight as water was sprinkled on them. Ino loved its natural beauty and it's one of the joys to be a part-time florist.

She was watering the poppies when she saw Sakura walking in. The rosette had a grin on her face and those piercing eyes Ino saw last night. Ignoring the fact that she felt sorry and angry, Ino wished her friend a welcome, "Good morning, Sakura."

"Ino," Sakura replied without looking at her. She was hovering around the roses section and picked up a brilliant red rose, "Tell me again what red roses mean, Ino?"

With a silent sigh, Ino answered her, "Red roses are symbols of love and care."

Sakura giggled, "I want 10 of these please."

Ino put down the watering can and picked out the best red roses in the shop. She knew well what Sakura would do with the flowers. She also recalled that Sakura was with Sasuke all night last night and the memory burnt Ino's chest. After wrapping the roses in a bouquet, Ino handed it over to Sakura who paid instantly.

"Thanks Ino. About last night, I'm sorry for shouting at you. I _really_ am," Sakura's words stunned Ino, "I was worried that Sasuke would get hurt and I never want to see him getting even a scratch. You understand right?"

Ino went over to Sakura and hugged her friend, "Sakura, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to be upset."

Sakura chuckled and said, "So, if you want to make it up to me, stay away from Sasuke."

Ino was taken aback, "What?"

"Stay away from Sasuke. You don't want me to misunderstand right? So don't ever see Sasuke alone again or our friendship ends there!"

The rosette left the shop with no hesitation, leaving Ino in shock. Her voice; something in Sakura's voice when she said that was totally different. It was as if Sakura would actually go out and _kill_ Ino if she cheats on her. Ino shook her head. She didn't want to think of it and she _should _stay out of the two's business. Ino knew she was lying.

* * *

**_Awww... Sasuke doesn't fight for Ino... What a pathetic chapter!!! XD_**

**_I was thinking it was still too early for Sasuke to surrender for Ino so I this will be a long story for sure... I think I made Sakura a total bi*** in this chapter but I want her to have the old obsessed Sakura just like in part 1 of the series... Don't worry, Ino's not all angelic and neither is Sakura all devil... _**

**_Ahhh.. Red roses.. They are the sole symbol of love... But even so, love is the most fragile out of every other feelings.. One mistake and it shatters into infinite pieces... Always remember that a person's lovelife never is easy nor truly beautiful... Haha! I think I should focus on the next chapter... Tata!_**

**_-Amaranthyz_**


	5. Chapter 5: Mission

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 5: Mission

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Yamanaka Ino, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba & Akamaru, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke**

Pairing(s):** slight ShikaIno**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

"They're _beautiful_!"

Ino yelped at the sight of the new tea roses. Its colour, so white it brought out an aura of absolute purity. The two men brought in the rest of the tea roses in before leaving. Ino giggled to herself as she started arranging the flowers by the roses section. Just then, Inoichi entered the shop.

"The roses have arrived eh?" Inoichi said.

Ino spun around like mad when her father suddenly voiced out, "Dad! Don't do that, you scared me."

"Sorry, princess. Well, I'll take care of the roses. You can go out with your friends. I spotted Shikamaru and Chouji walking to the barbeque shop. You should join them."

"I will but can I at least arrange the roses? They are so pretty!"

Inoichi chuckled, "Sure."

Ino went back and focused on the flowers. She made sure that it was all arranged in the vases at a balanced number. Ino hated it when flowers don't share their beauty. When Ino put the vases together, she stretched her arms and shoulders but accidentally scratched her right arm on the roses' thorns.

"Ouch!" Ino held her arm and saw it wasn't just a scratch; the cut was pretty deep and it claimed her entire forearm in length. Ino saw the thorn she cut herself with was buried in the wound and it was covered with the red liquid. Ino looked around and noticed that her father had gone upstairs. She rushed up to her room and washed the wound in the bathroom. She held her breath and took out the thorn and the thick crimson liquid leaked out of the cut vastly until it finally started to slow down. Ino used her healing techniques and the wound became smaller and smaller until Ino heard a knock on her door.

"Ino, are you in there?" it was her father.

"Uh, yeah it's me. I'm just washing up."

Ino quickly wrapped the wound with a bandage and unlocked the door. Inoichi looked at his daughter with piercing eyes and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No. There's nothing wrong here, why?" Ino lied.

Inoichi looked around the room and then said, "Shikamaru and Kiba's downstairs. They said they are going on a mission and you're in the team so you should change."

"Oh, okay. Thanks dad," Ino closed the door after her father went down. She looked out her bedroom window and saw Shikamaru and -surprisingly- Kiba talking with her father. Ino sighed and went to her closet to change. She strapped on her kunai holster and her medical pouch before jumping out the window. She landed right beside Kiba.

"Hey guys!"

"_Nice_ entrance, Ino," Kiba complimented along with a bark from Akamaru.

"I know. So, what's the fuss about?"

Shikamaru took the lead in explaining as the three headed to the Hokage's office, "I just received summons from Naruto this morning and it's something involving Orochimaru's hideout. I've been told that there are several secret rooms in the hideout which holds most of Orochimaru's experiments that hasn't been retrieved. It's _pretty _troublesome since that place has been abandoned for 4 years now ever since he died."

Ino widened her eyes. The last time she heard about Orochimaru was when Sasuke was still a missing-nin. But the main question is why didn't they search for those experiments for the _past three years_? It was pretty idiotic to start the searching this late. The team reached the office and saw a few people in the room other than the Hokage.

"Shikamaru, Kiba and Ino, you three made it," Naruto greeted them. In front of Ino was Sasuke he was wearing the ANBU suit and remembered his entrance to the ANBU a year ago.

Naruto sat back in his chair and started explaining, "I recall that most of you have been told of the mission but I'll make sure that everyone gets it clear. We have just received information that Orochimaru's previous hideout has been infiltrated by a few rogue ninjas a few days ago and they were found dead by a group of our ANBU unit who were also missing. They delivered the message by a bird to be exact.

"The unit consists of Sai from the past Team Yamato. I'm sure you know him."

When Naruto called out Sai's name, everyone was shocked.

"We don't know whether they are killed or they are trapped in the hideout and that's why I'm sending you four out for the mission. Sasuke, I know you lived there 4 years ago so you should know the hideout well. Shikamaru, it's time to use your brains for a good strategy to keep your comrades safe."

"That's rude, _Naruto_," Shikamaru teased.

"Just shut the hell up! And I'm the Hokage now so get serious already! Humph! Uh…Ino, I want you to be the main medical-nin for the team since Sakura's already out on her own mission. And Kiba, use your nose to find the missing ANBU members' scent."

The team then rushed out of the office and grouped up at the main gate. Shikamaru cracked his neck before making a short explanation on his strategy, "Alright, so I've decided that we keep an eye for our surrounding since it might be other ninjas who are killing them around that hideout. So, Kiba and Akamaru, I leave you two to be our eyes and of course, nose."

Akamaru barked and Kiba howled, "No problem for us, right boy?" Akamaru barked once again at his owner.

Shikamaru continued his plan, "Sasuke, you have to be our trump card and remain silent in case any of us becomes a hostage since you are the strongest in this team. I'll be the second back-up using my Shadow Possession technique to trap the enemies and Ino; I trust you to keep us alive when we are defeated so stay behind Sasuke and keep yourself safe."

Ino looked at Sasuke who just smiled and said, "It's an honour to protect you, _princess_."

Ino flushed red, "D…Don't call me that, Sasuke-idiot!"

With that, Sasuke laughed and Ino blushed at his reaction. He was _undeniably _cute when he does that but Ino reminded herself of the mission to get distracted. Shikamaru finally signalled them to leave after reading the map he got from Naruto and they moved out into the trees, jumping from one branch to another.

Kiba was in the lead riding Akamaru alongside Shikamaru who constantly tells him the directions. The two seemed to have arguments about the map over and over while running. That left Ino together with Sasuke behind them and it drove Ino crazy to act as if she wasn't happy with Sasuke beside her. The memory of today's conversation of Sakura in the shop and Ino automatically frowned. Sakura's voice at the time was menacing and it didn't sound like her friend at all. It worried Ino again.

"What's wrong?"

Ino heard Sasuke's voice and turned to him, "Oh, uh…nothing. Nothing's wrong, why?"

"Your face doesn't say so. What's up?"

"It's nothing really."

Sasuke took a pause and said, "Are you mad at Sakura?"

"I told you, it's…_NO_! Of course not! Why would I be mad at Sakura for no reason?" Ino tried covering up.

"Hmm… If it's for no reason, right? What if there _is_ a reason?"

"Huh? Uh…it…it depends on the reason!"

"The reason?"

"Yes!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"You're cute when you lie."

"Yes!" Ino realised what he said, "N...No! Wha…What?!"

Sasuke laughed and moved up to Shikamaru and Kiba. Ino just stayed behind him and tried to get rid of the heat on her cheeks, "That idiot Sasuke is seriously annoying!" Ino said to herself as she wiped her cheeks. She hated it when people catch her off guard. It wasn't her style. But Ino could not resist smiling.

"He said I'm '_cute_'…"

* * *

**_The last few dialogues were my favourite to write.. I got that off from Toradora! when Ryuuji first called Aisaka as Taiga.. "He called me 'Taiga'..."_**

**_XD_**

**_I have to admit, it was definitely cute... So, I'm totally sorry that I haven't updated earlier but my dad pulled me on a 3 day vacation.... I forgot to pack my thumbdrive along so I couldn't submit this thing earlier... Gommenne.._**

**_But anyways, I'll update this thing once every 2 days if I could since I'm working on a collab with a new Fanfic member; Cycil. She's a friend of mine and she lurves SasuIno & LelouchXC.C lemons.. _**

**_Cycil: When did I tell you to tell the readers that??!!_**

**_Amaranthyz: I just wanted to tell them about you so that you don't have to tell them later..._**

**_Cycil: But it's a private thing to tell so don't tell anyone when I didn't tell you to tell ANYONE!_**

**_Amaranthyz: You've told me...and the readers reading this ^_^_**

**_Cycil: GAH!_**

**_-Amaranthyz_**


	6. Chapter 6: Parting

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 6: Parting

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, Sai**

Pairing(s):** -**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

The team arrived in front of Orochimaru's hideout a few hours after they've departed from Konoha. The hideout was in shambles; overgrown roots dug themselves out of the ground and moss was everywhere. The place was certainly left unoccupied for too long that it the roof was creaking when wind blew its way through the forest. Even Sasuke, who had lived here in the past, barely recognizes it.

"If the map's correct, this is the place," Shikamaru announced to the team.

Ino looked around, "This hideout is very good in hiding itself amongst the trees and moss of the forest. _Too_ good."

"It may not look it, but Akamaru and I could smell fresh blood in there. There are also traces of Sai's scent but it's not strong," Kiba said as he patted Akamaru.

"Let's just get in there and see for ourselves," Sasuke said.

Shikamaru stuck out an arm and said, "Wait a minute guys, since we're entering an enemy's territory, we have to think of the consequences. There's maybe a good chance that a hidden enemy other than those missing rouge ninjas that is hiding in this place. If that's not the case, then maybe there are traps or wild animals inhabiting here."

The others looked at each other in agreement as Shikamaru continued, "I've already thought of this since we've been assigned for this mission so I borrowed these from Neji and Lee."

Shikamaru took out two wireless radios and handed one to Ino.

"These things can cover the distances between us when we get lost. I couldn't get more since I seriously hate to see Gai-sensei all alone and…" Shikamaru saw the others' expression and coughed, "You know…his hyper…fighting spirit…_green tights_…"

The others chorused "Oohh…" before giggling at Shikamaru's explanation of Gai.

"Now, since I couldn't find Gai-sensei and TenTen for a few unmentionable reasons, we will divide into two groups that consists of me, Kiba and Akamaru in one team and you two on another."

"What?!" Ino yelped but remained her calm when Sasuke stared at her.

Shikamaru sighed, "The thing is, I need Kiba to track the missing ninjas and if I'm with him, I won't get lost and we're able to locate you with your scents. On the other hand, Sasuke's familiarity with this place is a way for both of you to not get lost and I've told you that you have to be in full contact with Sasuke since you are the medical-nin in this team."

Ino nodded slowly. Shikamaru then announced their move and the four along with Akamaru, rushed into the hideout's entrance. The candles on the walls were lit which alerted them that there were people in here before them. Kiba and Akamaru led them through the turns of the corridors and they finally stopped at a fork where the maze will lead them to two different paths.

"See what I meant?" Shikamaru looked at Ino who grumbled. Kiba and Akamaru kept on sniffing and Akamaru barked.

"Akamaru said he smells Sai a few hundred meters away on the right path and a few other people on the left along with the smell of a dozen blood covered corpses. It _stinks_!!" Kiba said.

"Okay, so Ino and Sasuke will go and find Sai while we'll deal with the corpses. If Sai's really alive, then Ino needs to do her thing," Shikamaru instructed the team.

The four nodded and they dispersed a moment later. Ino ran behind Sasuke along the way. She forgot all about her anxiety to be partnering with Sasuke and focused on finding Sai. She felt Shikamaru and Kiba's presence fading away as they ran on opposite directions. Ino didn't like parting with her team mates, _ever_. She would feel very restless if she separated from Shikamaru and Chouji ever since they were assigned into Team 10. She would feel lonely without lecturing Chouji in his eating habits and she would feel very vulnerable without Shikamaru's guidance.

Ino had to admit, she once felt a little different for Shikamaru. He was a great guy and an even greater _friend_. He was like a brother she had always wanted; scratch the lazy ass attitude. With him by her side, she was calm and felt confident. She was stronger when she was by both Shikamaru and Chouji and she could be even stronger just by holding both of their hands and being secure in the middle of them. With the two by her side, she was _whole_.

"What's wrong, Ino?"

Ino snapped out of thinking when Sasuke's voice cut through her mind. She looked up front and saw Sasuke looking at her.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just…thinking."

Sasuke didn't make a comeback and sped up. Ino picked up her pace and followed Sasuke's lead through the turns and corners. She wondered why he as so quiet. In fact, he had been quiet ever since they arrived here. It had to be the past memories, Ino thought. Since this had been Sasuke's home once, it must have a few past situations he would remember. Or, he would rather _not_ remember.

A strong scent hit Ino and she stopped in her tracks, "Sai."

Without alerting Sasuke, Ino rushed back and found another path they've missed. There, she saw a silhouette lying on the floor. Ino ignored the fact if it were an enemy and rushed towards the figure. It had short black hair and pale white skin. It was a he. More than that, he was clutching on a paint brush and an empty scroll. He was wearing a familiar outfit which struck Ino in her stand, "Sai!"

Ino lifted Sai up and laid his head on her lap, "Sai, can you hear me? Sai?"

Sai opened his eyes to Ino's relief. She started gathering chakra in her hand when Sai murmured something she couldn't hear, "What's wrong, Sai?"

The man grinned and his eyes turned white. It wasn't as if he lost his sight but the whiteness in his eyes glowed and so does his pale body. Soon, his whole figure was glowing. Ino thought for a while and released Sai from her hold. It was not Sai; it was an explosive clone. She stood up and tried to run when a hard grip took hold of her ankles and dropped her to the floor. Her head hit the ground really hard and when Ino placed her palm on her forehead, it was bleeding but she ignored it when the clone pulled her nearer.

"Let me go!" Ino kicked the clone with her other feet causing its head to crack. To her horror, it cracked back into place and the grip quickly caught her right arm in a blink of an eye. Ino screamed in pain as the grip opened her wound. Ino was startled; her wound was not healed yet. The grip was insanely hard and blood was oozing from both her arm and her forehead.

As the clone struck another grin to Ino, it exploded. The last thing Ino remembered was a strong hand pulling her shoulders before everything faded from her sight.

---

Shikamaru and Kiba heard the loud explosion that shook the entire hideout. They have already found the missing rouge ninjas' bodies lying dead on the ground when the explosion occurred.

"What the heck just happened?" Kiba said and Akamaru barked a few times to his owner.

"It's coming from the path Ino and Sasuke took. This is bad," Shikamaru answered and a worried look carved itself onto his face. If anything happened to Ino, he would never forgive himself. Even if Shikamaru didn't feel that way for Ino, he took responsibility to be the bigger brother to her and protect her; especially on missions.

Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru rushed towards the fork where they parted and followed Ino and Sasuke's direction when a familiar face appeared from behind them.

* * *

**_When a team is divided, it is never going to end good. Well, this chapter tells it all!_**

**_There's a slight cliffhanger here in the end... Who's this familiar face? What happened to Ino and Sasuke? What's up with that freakin' explosive clone?? Where's Sai? There's a load of questions you might have in your head now... But trust me, the next chapter will be updated soon since Cycil has some problems so our collab might take time... In the meantime, I'll focus on this story..._**

**_Cycil: This won't matter to me! Our collab is still on, sister!_**

**_Amaranthyz: Whatevs... You're just too turned on after reading that one fic about Lelouch & Suzaku..._**

**_Cycil: ... I want my lawyer!!!_**

-**_Amaranthyz_**


	7. Chapter 7: Erased

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 7: Erased

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Sai, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, Yamanaka Ino, Uzumaki Naruto**

Pairing(s): **slight SasuSaku, slight ShikaIno**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

Sai was walking slowly down the dark corridor with an arm balancing his body against the walls when he met up with Shikamaru and Kiba. He looked awful; his face had black and blue bruises and he was limping on his left foot. There were cuts and scratches all over his arms. Akamaru barked and alerted his owner as the two turned to face Sai.

"Good…afternoon, you…two," Sai greeted them with his well-known fake smile before tumbling to the floor in exhaustion.

"Whoa there!" Kiba caught Sai before he could hit the ground and swung one of Sai's arms around his shoulders for support. Akamaru whined as Kiba struggled to keep Sai in balance. Shikamaru helped Kiba by taking Sai's other arm in support and the ANBU member was unconscious for sure.

"This is bad. We've got to get Sai up and out of the hideout before anything happens to us," Shikamaru said.

"But what about Sasuke and Ino? They're still trapped down there and who knows what happened to them!" Kiba argued but Shikamaru shook his head.

"Ino has Sasuke with her. They should be alright for now but Sai's the objective of the mission. You'll stay outside with Sai while I'll go and find the others."

Kiba growled but nodded and the two ran back up with Sai. As soon as they reached the green grass of the forest, Kiba and Shikamaru laid Sai on the ground. He was still breathing but the wounds he had were bad. He needed Ino's help and _fast_.

"Go and find those two. I'll try and do a tourniquet for his leg," Kiba said to Shikamaru, "Akamaru, follow him and find Sasuke and Ino!"

The dog whined once but barked and went by Shikamaru's side.

"You're sure about this, Kiba?" Shikamaru asked his comrade once and when the member of the Inuzuka clan nodded, Shikamaru and Akamaru rushed back into the hideout with Akamaru sniffing for Sasuke and Ino's missing trails. Kiba looked down to Sai who was breathing hard.

"Those two better not get into the mess like _you_ did."

---

Shikamaru followed Akamaru's lead through the corridors. It was not Shikamaru's first time with a ninja hound. In fact, he had a really _biting_ experience with one. If he did something to piss Akamaru off, Shikamaru was sure he would get a bigger bite than what Pakkun once did. It was not a good memory. Mostly.

Akamaru slowed down in his pace and barked. Shikamaru looked up and saw a huge obstacle made out of the crushed walls and ceilings. It was what the explosion caused. Shikamaru touched the obstacle once and noted that it was far too thick for any of his own techniques could dig through. He sighed and hit his fist on the wall once, ignoring the pain.

"Shit!"

Akamaru whined and Shikamaru smiled wryly at the dog. He gathered up his breath and shouted as loud as he could, "INO!!!!"

There was no reply. Shikamaru tried once again but there was still no reply from any direction. He then changed the name, "SASUKE!!!!" This time, he got a reply. But it was not what he had expected. Actually, it was better.

The mountain of boulders exploded and Shikamaru had to take cover from the flying rocks and rubble. Akamaru had jumped away from the crash and hid by Shikamaru. As the dust cleared, Shikamaru opened his eyes to see a figure walking towards him. It was clearly Sasuke since his hairdo was too obvious.

"Sasuke, thank goodness you're alright. Where's Ino-," Shikamaru couldn't finish his sentence when he saw another figure being dragged by the collar. The figure was unconscious and had a bleeding forehead. She had long blonde hair and that was all Shikamaru needed for a conclusion.

"Get your hands the hell off of her!" Shikamaru stormed towards him when Sasuke, who had no emotion at all in his eyes, threw Ino at Shikamaru who caught her gently but groaned at the pressure of the throw. Ino moaned but was still unconscious. Shikamaru held her in his arms and looked at Sasuke.

"What the hell's wrong with you?! What's gotten into you? I thought you've changed!"

Sasuke closed his eyes and when he opened them, he vanished in the blink of an eye. Shikamaru cursed once and rushed back to the entrance with Ino in his arms and Akamaru by his side.

---

"WHAT THE _FUCK_ DID YOU SAY??!!"

Naruto hit the table in front of him with his fist so hard that the table broke into two. Everyone in the room stayed silent. Naruto had to be very angry.

"Sasuke has abandoned the mission all of the sudden and acted violently towards his comrade, Ino," Shikamaru choked out his words to the furious Hokage. Kiba was beside him, finding as much curse words as he could in his head.

It was a very depressing mission and reporting it to the Hokage was the worst part of it. Since Sasuke was Naruto's closest friend, hearing the fact that Sasuke had returned to depths of hell would piss him off real badly. And Naruto's anger could trigger his red chakra which was far beyond bad.

"What happened at the hideout?" Naruto solemnly asked when he got his cool back.

"Kiba and I were separated from them in there due to the complex corridors. We were investigating the bodies of the missing rogue ninjas when we heard a very loud explosion. When we went to check, we stumbled with Sai who was in bad condition and now in the hospital. Kiba was with Sai outside of the hideout and I went out to find the others. When I found them, Sasuke was dragging Ino by her collar and _violently_ threw her at me before vanishing," Shikamaru explained and stressed out the word 'violently'.

Naruto seemed as if he was growling. It was far more realistic than what Kiba could pull off. Naruto breathed in and out hard before looking straight into Shikamaru's eyes, "Where's Ino?"

"She's in the hospital. She was already unconscious and wounded when I found her with Sasuke."

"Do you think she knows what happened to him?"

"I'm not sure, Lord Hokage. She is still in a short-term comatose, so the medical-ninjas said."

"Damn."

Naruto turned around to face the window, "You two could go now."

Shikamaru and Kiba bowed before exiting the room. Kiba looked at Shikamaru who had his eyebrows narrowed furiously. He couldn't blame him. After what happened on the mission, Shikamaru had to be the most upset one out of the entire team. Even Akamaru seemed shaken when they got out of the hideout. Kiba clenched his teeth and cursed again.

---

Shikamaru and Kiba got to the reception counter at the Konoha Hospital and asked for Ino's room. Shikamaru's temper had gone down fortunately and Kiba could work up a smile once in a while. The receptionist allowed an hour for the two's visit.

"Thank you," Shikamaru said and the boys made their way to the stairs.

"Shikamaru, you're okay right?" Kiba asked, concerned.

Shikamaru looked at his friend and smiled, "I'm alright, Kiba. Right now, I can't make a sad face. I'm not obliged to. _Naruto's_ even more depressed than I could ever be."

"True," Kiba whispered as they entered Ino's room.

Ino was sitting up on the bed and reading a book. She had the white hospital gown on and her forehead was wrapped with a bandage. Her bangs were clipped up but her hair was not in her regular ponytail. Her right arm was also wrapped in a bandage and her eyes were tired when she looked up to the two boys.

"Shikamaru, Kiba! I'm _so_ glad you two came. I am seriously dying of boredom if not for the horrible bandages wrapped around me like a mummy!" Ino yelped with joy and even complained out of her condition.

Shikamaru's heart ached when he saw her smile. He sat by her bed and handed her a magazine, "Will this help you live longer through the boredom?"

"This is the latest edition right?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks, Shikamaru!"

Kiba chuckled, "You look hyper already even if you _do_ look like a mummy, Ino."

"Thanks Kiba. But please stop with the whole mummy thing because it's seriously annoying."

"Alright, _mummy_."

"If I get out of here, _you'll_ be the first person I want to see okay, Kiba?"

The two laughed but Shikamaru stayed silent. Has Ino lost her memory on what happened? She was acting too casual for something like _this_ that had happened. His thoughts circulated. Ino did have that hard hit on her head which might cause her amnesia. But then again, Ino was _very_ good in acting. But this was no time to act.

Gathering all his spirits, Shikamaru asked, "Ino, have you forgotten what happened on the mission?"

Ino's smile faded. She looked at Shikamaru with sad eyes and then stared outside the window. She has _not_ lost her memory.

"Crap," Shikamaru said.

* * *

**_KYA~! Badass Sasuke is back once again... Nothing will continue in happiness after this chapter... _**

**_But some of the questions are not yet answered and new ones have grown from this chapter. The main one is definitely: "What's up with Sasuke??!!" At least that's what Cycil says... She's not here to rant with me though... _**

**_This is going to be a long story but please take your time to read... Review if you like it since it'll be appreciated full-heartedly..._**

**_-Amaranthyz_**


	8. Chapter 8: Patience

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 8: Patience

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Team Gai, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke**

Pairing(s): **slight NaruSaku**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

Ino kept staring outside of her hospital room window. There was a tree framing the view and a few birds flying freely outside. She could also see the sky bright blue and the clouds forming into a variety of shapes. It was a beautiful day but her heart ached as if there was a huge storm circulating in her chest. Shikamaru looked at his team mate in guilt. He placed a hand over hers and caught her attention slowly.

"Look Ino, what happened with Sasuke was not your fault. He left by his own-."

"It is my fault, Shikamaru," Ino cut off Shikamaru and began explaining, "I left him. I was supposed to follow him through the corridors to find Sai but I left him and followed my own instincts. I saw Sai's figure in another corridor and without telling Sasuke, I fled and fell into a trap. I was such an idiot!"

Shikamaru and Kiba widened their eyes. Ino wasn't referring to Sasuke's disappearance but it was a different story.

"So, I was the one who triggered the explosion. Sasuke saved me, Shikamaru. I felt his arms around my shoulder and pulling me away from the bomb. He saved me, even though I left him in the first place."

Kiba knelt by Ino's bed, "Ino, do you know where Sasuke is now?"

Ino shook her head, "Where is he? He's alright isn't he?"

Shikamaru and Kiba exchanged looks and hesitated. Ino was already unconscious when Sasuke suddenly became his old villain self again. So she doesn't know anything about him. The problem now was how to tell her. Other than Naruto, Ino might be the next one to go ballistic.

"Ino, Sasuke is-," Kiba tried to tell her when Shikamaru glared at him.

"Sasuke's fine," Shikamaru lied but was relieved when Ino smiled. He thought that was that when the door opened and a rosette haired-nin burst into the room. Sakura panted in exhaustion before letting out her voice.

"Where's Sasuke?!"

Shikamaru stood up along with Kiba, "Sakura, don't-."

"What?! I asked you where's Sasuke so answer already! I won't believe the fact that he turned evil again so tell me where he is!"

Sakura's sentence caught the others and the two boys turned towards Ino whose face was filled with confusion and shock. Slowly, Ino looked at Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, what's the meaning of this?"

"Oh don't you dare ask your friend there, Ino! Sasuke was with you during the mission right? So you're the one who knows what happened so spill it out, pig!" Sakura filled the room with her anger.

"Sakura, I don't know anything!"

"Shut that yap, pig! I know you're responsible for this! If it wasn't you, who else?! You were so goddamn happy when you teamed up with him and now look what you've done!"

Ino blinked her wide eyes, "I seriously don't know anything! I fainted in the explosion and-."

"And who was the person responsible for that explosion in the first place?!"

Ino clenched her fists and looked away. Sakura walked nearer towards her and gripped her shoulder, "Listen here, pig, I'll never forgive you for this. I knew one day you would screw up everything between me and Sasuke for your selfish needs! I knew that from the beginning when Sasuke chose me as his girlfriend and you were jealous like hell! But don't think this will make Sasuke yours! When he comes back, he'll still be mine!"

Sakura's fury washed away Ino's patience when Ino swung her left hand straight to Sakura's jaw and Sakura tumbled to the floor, holding her cheeks.

"That hurts, you bitch!" Sakura screamed before Ino got off her bed and grabbed Sakura's collar. Ino released her patience and punched Sakura in the face and gut a few times before slapping her the exact same way Sakura did on that night of Sasuke's birthday.

"It's time for you to listen, forehead-bitch! I thought you loved Sasuke sincerely but now I can see that you're just using him for your own fucking fame and desires! If that's what you want from him then go fuck yourself! Never use Sasuke in front of me ever again and if you dare to try and raise your voice at me again, I goddamn swear I'll fucking tear your ass myself!"

Shikamaru and Kiba were frozen at the sight of Ino's anger that she had kept for years. It was time she let them all out and took the upper hand. Ino slapped Sakura a few times again and opened the door of the room.

"Now, forehead, get the fuck out of here before I throw you off the window!"

Ino kicked Sakura in the gut once more causing her to roll out of the room and slammed the door back to its closed position before sighing. Ino then looked at Shikamaru and Kiba who were standing still and their jaws dropped. It caused Ino to giggle a little at the sight of their stance.

"I'll never be patient to that girl again," Ino said before patting the two by their shoulders, "Now tell me, what happened to Sasuke?"

---

"It must be him," Naruto said when the two ANBU members reported in about their patrol around the village. A few of the ninjas guarding the west entrance of the village was killed and signs of black flames were noticed.

"What should we do, Lord Hokage?" one of the ANBU asked.

"Order every all Genin and Chuunin to protect the villagers and send all Jounin and higher ranked-nin to go search and capture the intruder this instant! All ANBU should be active as well. I will be on the battlefield too."

The ANBU nodded and vanished into thin air as Naruto looked out the window. Several ANBU members were already in action as they leaped from rooftop to rooftop. If the intruder was really Sasuke, the village was in trouble and Naruto knew well of that.

"Naruto."

A sad voice entered the office and Naruto turned around to find Sakura with her cheeks bruised and wet from tears. He quickly got to her and sat her down on the couch in front of his desk.

"What happened, Sakura?" Naruto's voice was very concerned.

"Naruto, do…do you think…I'm using Sasuke?"

Naruto blinked a few times, "Wha…What do you mean?"

"Am I using Sasuke for my own reasons? Have I used the excuse of love as a way to be with him?!" Sakura was on the verge to cry.

"Calm down, Sakura. Calm down," Naruto patted her back and wiped the tears off her cheeks. After a few sobs, Sakura looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, don't lie to me. Do you think I really love Sasuke?"

The blonde couldn't answer. He knew too well that Sakura has changed over the years after getting together with Sasuke. She had been very possessive and always bragged about her relationship with the Uchiha. Naruto had to admit, he once started to hate Sakura's new attitude. She was not the normal Haruno Sakura anymore.

"Sakura, I don't know. But I think it's time you let go," Naruto found the right words to soothe her. Sakura lowered her head.

"I know. Thank you, Naruto."

Sakura then wiped off her tears and smiled, "I think it's time we kick that bastard's ass for leaving us again, huh?"

Naruto smiled widely and laughed, "Well duh!"

---

Not far from the village's main entrance, members of Team Gai, Shino, Hinata and Chouji were circling the area.

"So, Uchiha has made a mess once again huh?" Shino said.

"I heard it was an accident somehow. I…I don't think he meant it," Hinata tried to object.

"But these are the Hokage's orders. Let's just find that guy already," Neji assured his cousin as they ran up the walls when a familiar lightning technique blasted through the walls, causing the crushed boulders and rubble to fall.

"Look out!" Chouji said as he extended his hands to cover his comrades who were directly below the explosion. He clenched his teeth to ignore the pain of the rocks hitting his over-sized hand which still hurt.

Rock Lee jumped out of the rubble and looked up to the hole of the wall where a figure stood proud with Chidori circulating its body.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" Lee exclaimed, alerting every ninja in that area as Sasuke stepped forward with the same expressionless face he had when he was in the hideout. Although it was further away, Naruto who was in the Hokage's office could see straight to the explosion and shouted as loud as possible.

"DAMN YOU, SASUKE!!!!!!!!"

* * *

**_Ino takes her spot as Sakura's true senior and beat the crap out of her!! XD_**

**_Well, who could be too patient, right? But still, what the heck is up with Sasuke? One minute he was smiling and laughing and the next, he was the same cold blooded criminal he had proved to abandon. What will be Naruto's resolve and what'll happen to Sasuke now? The conclusion is coming in fast, don't miss the semi-finale of the story!_**

**_-Amaranthyz_**


	9. Chapter 9: Lies

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 9: Lies

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Neji, Hyuga Hinata, Ten Ten, Aburame Shino, Akimichi Chouji, Uzumaki Naruto, Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru, Nara Shikamaru, Sai**

Pairing(s): **-**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

* * *

Rock Lee looked up towards the hole in the wall as Sasuke stepped out of the shadows, revealing his expressionless face. He looked around his surroundings and saw the opponents he had conjured up.

"Uchiha Sasuke, what the hell do you think you are doing?!" Neji shouted as he held Hinata tightly in his arms.

TenTen, Shino and Chouji lifted themselves up and faced their opponent.

"Uchiha, get down here and explain!" TenTen shouted.

Lee supported his comrade and said, "What is going on?! How can you deceive us?"

The Uchiha smirked and glared at him, "What does it matter if I want to?"

Shino released his bugs and they surrounded Sasuke instantly. The Uchiha stood still as the bugs covered his entire body when Shino realised his plan. The Aburame tried pulling back his bugs as Sasuke spread his Chidori current, exterminating all the bugs that were still circulating him. He then jumped down from the wall and sent a kick onto Shino's shoulder. Aburame groaned but took hold of Sasuke's ankle and swung him aside when Sasuke counter-attacked with another surprise kick using his other leg. Shino fell backwards and Sasuke found himself surrounded by five highly trained Konoha shinobi.

"Looks like the village is getting mad at me, huh?" Sasuke grinned.

Lee lost his temper and vanished from his place, reappearing behind Sasuke and sending a mighty punch from the back. Sasuke took out his katana in time to block the punch as he ignited his Chidori once more through the blade. Lee saw this and reacted quickly in time to escape the Chidori. As Lee avoided the lightning currents, Neji and Hinata activated their Byakugan and started pulling out deadly punches at Sasuke.

The Uchiha stopped his Chidori attacks and jumped out of the way before disappearing in mid-air. Neji and Hinata stopped in their tracks before sensing Sasuke's chakra by Lee's. The rebel had swung his sword across Lee's back, creating a deep wound stretching at his spine's length.

"Lee!" Neji shouted as he rushed in for his attack. Sasuke turned around and swiftly took hold of Neji's hand and successfully drove his sword through Neji's torso. The Hyuga coughed and choked out blood before tumbling to the ground.

Hinata, shocked at her cousin's defeat, activated her Byakugan in fury before coming in at Sasuke with her palms strengthen with chakra. She was faster in avoiding Sasuke's sword attacks and her reaction was quicker but Sasuke was in the upper hand as he activated his Sharingan. The Uchiha created a shadow-clone in battle and the clone got behind Hinata; an arm around her neck and suffocating her. Before she knew it, a strong current of enhanced Chidori burst into her body, driving Hinata into the blank darkness.

TenTen summoned a hundred of kunai knives and swiftly threw them all towards Sasuke continuously. The raven-haired boy managed to avoid all of them with the assistance of his Sharingan before coming face-to-face with his opponent. TenTen gasped before summoning her own katana to block Sasuke's attack. The two engaged in a swordfight as their blades rung when swung against each other. TenTen silently summoned a fuuma shuriken behind her back and as she took hold of Sasuke's sword's hilt, she swung the shuriken at him.

"This is what you get for being a liar!!" TenTen shouted as the shuriken went through Sasuke's upper torso.

TenTen jumped out of the way and looked at Sasuke who collapsed to the ground with blood oozing from his chest, "I did it!" TenTen exclaimed.

"What did you do?" a serene voice appeared behind the weapon expert before a blade pierced through TenTen's left shoulder. The female choked out thick crimson liquid before falling to her knees and soon, collapsed.

Sasuke looked down towards the four unconscious bodies when he realised that one was missing. Chouji was nowhere to be seen but it didn't matter to Sasuke. The others were coming straight at him from every direction. He wanted to end this swiftly and easily. But even if he haven't thought of it as he made his way in creating a bloody one-man war, he was clueless on the fact _why_ he was attacking Konoha in the first place.

As he knocked out his last opponent, Sasuke smirked once more before a shrieking voice pierced his ears.

"SASUKE, YOU BASTARD!!!" Naruto came straight as him with a giant Rasengan in his hand. Sasuke jumped out of the way quickly before he realised that there was more than one Naruto.

Around him, isolating Sasuke and the real Naruto, were thousands of Naruto shadow clones. It was one of Naruto's most effective techniques even if it was a basic Jounin-level technique. Sasuke rushed towards the real Naruto when the massive crowd of clones came faster than what the raven expected. Hundreds of Rasengan were aiming at him. Sasuke activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, his most prized bloodline-limit, but to his own shock, it didn't activate itself and he was forced to take a hit from one of the Rasengan as he made his way out of the crowd.

Sasuke's right arm was badly injured at the cost of his muscles all torn. He groaned at the pain but stood up towards his opponents.

Naruto, the real one, was standing in front of all of the clones. His eyes were dead serious, "Sasuke, what the fuck are you doing? You're supposed to be on our side!"

Sasuke smirked and said, "So what if I'm on your side? I'm not much of a help anyway and on fact, this is what I want to do. It's my own gain."

It struck Sasuke at the moment he said that. For what gain?

Naruto was already clenching his fists, "You ass, you better regret this! Like I've said, for the past four years, I'll take you back to Konoha even if I have to break every bone in your body and drag you back!!! I'll still keep that promise even now. I'll keep it even if I die!"

The Uchiha glared at his old friend. But even to him, it was all fuzzy. He couldn't make out his goals and what he wanted with the village. Sasuke then gasped silently. He looked behind him and saw all of the ninjas he had fought with; they were all still alive. None of them were killed. His attacks were nothing. He didn't even make a true bloody path.

"What the-," Sasuke was about to voice out when a stinging pain hit his head. He wailed out and fell onto his knees, grabbing the sides of his head. This pain reminded him of the curse mark but it was different. It was like a headache but far more painful.

"Sa…Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as he disarmed all of his clones and ran to Sasuke's side. He held Sasuke's shoulders as the Uchiha screamed.

"Sasuke, what's going on? Sasuke!"

"Get…"

Naruto blinked, "What?"

"Get…away…get away…"

"Get away from what? Sasuke, you're talking nonsense, what's going on?!"

Sasuke's eyes flashed up and the full Mangekyo Sharingan was visible in his pupils.

"I said, GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"

Sasuke's arm was surrounded with Chidori current as he blasted Naruto away from his side. Naruto was flown aside and landed on his head, causing the unarmed Hokage to instantly lose conscious. Sasuke stood up slowly but failed multiple times. The shinobi around him were preparing to attack when they saw Sasuke's eyes bleeding. Crimson liquid were flowing out of his eyes and fast.

The Uchiha then yelled out in pain. His eyes were out of control. As Sasuke opened his eyes, black flames were shot everywhere he managed to see. The ninjas avoided the flames and were rushing for him. Sasuke was wailing as they cursed him and aimed their kunai knives and shurikens at him. It was near his end when two huge fingers covered Sasuke's eyes and surrounding him. The ninjas were stopped as multiple beasts of every shapes and sizes jumped in front of them. The beasts were white and they looked a lot like painting.

"Step aside, you bastards and drop your weapons now!" Kiba shouted as he and Akamaru stepped in front of the crowd of thousands. Shikamaru was riding behind him and jumped down.

"Chouji, you can release him now," Shikamaru said to his friend.

Chouji nodded and took his hands away from Sasuke. As the Uchiha gained sight, he was still frozen in spot as Shikamaru's shadow took over his body. Sai soon took away all of his living paintings and Kiba came down from Akamaru's back and the two made their way to Naruto and the others. Naruto was already conscious when Sai came to his side and Kiba found the others alive too except for Neji and TenTen being badly hurt.

Naruto looked around and saw Shikamaru, "Shi…Shikamaru, what are you-."

"Just leave the rest to her, Lord Hokage," Shikamaru said when a familiar voice rung through the crowd.

"Shintenshin no jutsu!"

* * *

**_KYA~! This chapter is way too fast!!! Ughh... But I seriously don't have much inspiration in doing battles and I want it to be done quick! _**

**_So, many more questions are given birth to from this chapter... What the heck is going on with Sasuke? If he doesn't have a goal, why is he attacking Konoha? And why is the Mangekyo Sharingan going loony? All answeres will be answered in the next chapter, THE FINALE OF THE COLD & THE CRYSTALLIZED!!_**

**_I'll seriously kill you if you miss it... _**

**_-Amaranthyz_**


	10. Chapter 10: Love Cold & Crystallized

**...Amaranthyz Presents...**

The Cold & The Crystallized

Chapter 10 [FINAL]: Love; Cold & Crystallized

Character(s) [By appearance]: **Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Yamanaka Inoichi**

Pairing(s): **SASUINO OWNS**

Characters from** Naruto** - rightfully belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**

**_I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me_**

_

* * *

_

Everything was darkness. I couldn't make it out if there was ground, walls or ceilings. It was another world; I can't see anything but this child.

_This child was crying. His tears couldn't stop flowing. He kept saying, "Brother" in between his broken sobs. If I was any blinder, I could just assume this boy was a stranger. But I could see from his face, his hair and his eyes, he was someone I loved. He needs someone. He needs someone right now!_

_Would his tears stop if…if I became the person he needs?_

---

Sasuke opened his eyes and found himself in another dimension. He was standing on solid ground for sure but all he could see was white. He could feel the ground but it was white and he had no shadow to prove it. Sasuke took one step backwards when he bumped into a wall. A wall?

Sasuke stretched out his arms and sure enough, there were walls around him. But they were white. They were white and they seemed to stretch out far away. It seemed endless. But there were walls, barriers around him. This dimension, this world, it seemed infinite but why did he feel walls surrounding him? Why was he trapped? Sasuke fell to ground. He touched it with his bare fingers. It was the ground!

But he was isolated. He was alone, just like before. He was alone in his own world. Isolated and nobody was around. Alone and isolated. Forever.

"Shut your yap and grab my hand!"

A familiar voice echoed through the walls. Sasuke stood up and searched around him. Surely, the walls were still there, encasing him. But that voice…

"Sasuke, please, just reach out! Hurry!"

Sasuke finally had the courage to let out his own voice, "Wh…Where? Where are you?"

"I'm right behind you."

The voice sounded so close. Sasuke spun around at the speed of light but there was nothing but the white wall. He shook his head and hesitated. He was imagining things. He was here alone. Nobody else could be here.

"But where is 'here'?"

The voice made another pointer.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke looked around again but found nothing, "Tell me where you are!"

"Sasuke, I'm behind you. Trust me."

The voice was very close, "Hold out your hand and touch the wall."

Sasuke obeyed the voice and touched the wall with his bare hand. Nothing happened.

"Think of Konoha," the voice said. Sasuke didn't know what was going on but he closed his eyes and thought of the beautiful, peaceful village of Konohagakure. His home.

"Now, think of your friends, your comrades."

Sasuke automatically thought of Naruto, his mouth filled with ramen. He thought of Sakura clinging into his arm like mad. He thought of Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Sai, Shino, Chouji, Hinata and TenTen. But he felt as if he was missing someone and his heart ached at the thought.

"Think…think of…me, Sasuke. Please, remember me."

Sasuke desperately tried to recognize the voice. It was so familiar that it hurt when he tried to remember. He sighed again and again as he searched his mind when the voice uttered the final words.

"I believe in you, Sasuke. I've always believed in you."

At the moment the voice ended its sentence, Sasuke's hand which was against the wall now was holding out to nothingness. There were no more walls. Even the ground disappeared. He looked around to find the sun and the blue sky. There were white clouds hovering above him. He saw something green and noticed that they were the trees. And soon, he made out the familiar rooftops of the village, the faces of the Konoha shinobi and his comrades staring at him in concern. He then made out Naruto and Shikamaru's smiling faces.

"Welcome back," Naruto said and winked.

Sasuke blinked a few times to shake himself up before he realised that he was holding Ino, unconscious but breathing at peace, in his arms.

---

Ino stirred around a few times before she woke up to the familiar ceiling of her room. She tried sitting up but a frightening pain in her head held her down.

"Ouch!" Ino yelled in pain as she held her head. Before she knew it, a warm hand was supporting her by her back and as Ino looked up, she saw worried obsidian eyes looking down at her.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke said as he helped Ino sit up in her bed.

"Sa…Sa…Sasuke?" Ino looked at him.

"I'm here. And I'll stay here until you get better."

Ino blushed at his words, "Wha…What are you saying? I'm fine…real…really. Just…Just leave and-."

Before she could finish, Sasuke pecked her lips with his causing Ino to gasp and her face reddened furiously.

"Wh…Wha…Wha…Wha..." Ino stammered at a single word and Sasuke chuckled.

"I'll do the talking here," Sasuke rested a hand on her shoulder, "Look, Ino it wasn't your fault at the hideout. The entire thing was a trap set up by some of Orochimaru's experiments that are still alive. Don't worry about them; the ANBU is already hunting them down. Sai's alright. Everyone's alright."

Ino gulped and said, "Are…are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just that during the explosion, it kind of brainwashed me, causing me to lose my memories. So I thought that I was still on the run and coming to destroy Konoha. But then you came, and saved me," Sasuke softened his voice in the last sentence, "I guess, I owe you a thank you."

"Yea…yeah."

"Ino," Sasuke called her and kissed her cheeks, driving her insanely red once again.

"Sa…Sasuke, you idiot!!!" Ino screamed.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke looked around before Ino grabbed his collar and pulled him closer.

"Don't you realise what you did?! You're cheating on Sakura! You promised her you won't do that and-,"

"And she has left me and I love you."

Ino was dumbstruck, "Wha…?"

"I love you Ino. I know it took me a few years to figure it out but I finally realised how I've been used by Sakura all this time."

"Well duh," Ino said to herself as Sasuke continued.

"I don't know if you'd accept me after all this but I won't change my mind anymore. I love you, Yamanaka Ino."

The way he pronounced her full name made Ino flinch and she lowered her head, "Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

Ino swung her hand out and hit his forehead. The Uchiha stumbled backwards but Ino pulled him back up by his collar and kissed him.

Ino released him and confessed, "You're the genius of the Uchiha clan but how can you not realise how much I loved you all this time?!"

Sasuke blinked his eyes as Ino let out her tears that she had been keeping for all the times she faced him, "I love you, Sasuke. I really do. I'm afraid of losing you and that's why I've kept it inside for so long."

Ino lifted her face up and shouted, "So now what?! You're just going to stare at me like that?! You're the worst gentleman in the history of gentlemen I could ever-."

The Uchiha put a hand over Ino's mouth, smirking, "You are a loud-mouth-princess, aren't you?"

Ino blushed once again as Sasuke removed his hand and pulled her closer. Before she could say anything more, the two were bound with a deep and longing kiss. Ino's tears were wiped away by Sasuke's fingers as they intertwined with her long blonde hair. Ino deepened the kiss by stretching her arms around his neck and pulled him in. Sasuke then pushed Ino slowly and the two collapsed onto her bed.

The two took a moment to take their breaths before Sasuke rushed in for another kiss only this time, he let his tongue inside and played with hers, causing Ino to moan. Sasuke's spine felt like ice when she whimpered and eyed him with those icy blue eyes of hers. Sasuke caressed her cheeks and whispered something before going for Ino's neck. She didn't need to listen well to know his words. She felt them in her heart.

All of the time, Ino was sure of something. Even if Sasuke reverted back to his cold, isolated personality which kept him from where he was, she would go up the mountains, beneath the oceans, through the storm and shatter with the crystals to find him and to bring him back.

Not because she wanted him.

She loved him.

_The ice stayed calm and cold in its icy heavens_

_The crystal stayed precise, sharp and frozen in its crystallized paradise_

_What are the differences?_

_When two hearts go through a storm,_

_When the two hearts break though the mountains,_

_When they are bound to eternal cold and crystallized,_

_They are one for the lifetime, and the life after_

_---_

Inoichi went up the stairs of his home with a bouquet of white roses. His daughter was resting up in her room and of course, she needed her father's attention and a couple of lovely and pure roses to cheer her up. He smiled at the thought and knocked on Ino's bedroom door.

"Ino, I'm coming in, okay?"

Inoichi opened the door and saw the clothes all left on the floor.

"Princess, what's up with all these-," the older Yamanaka male dropped the bouquet of roses as he saw his daughter, in her bed, in the embrace of Uchiha Sasuke. As Ino opened her eyes she saw her father's face as white as a ghost.

"Dad?"

Inoichi's head fell backwards, red liquid shoots out of his nose and collapsed.

THE END

* * *

**_Just to clear up misunderstanings in this chapter, the first part was actually Ino's version of her venture in Sasuke's mind... And the fact that I didn't put in Sakura in this last chapter was because I'm pretty much tired and out of inspiration... I just wanted this chapter to fully be on both Sasuke and Ino's confession towards each other._**

**_Anyways, I OFFICIALLY declare this story FINISHED!!!!! And I can finally have some sleep.._**

**_It's 4 am here and I need to wake up at 7 tomorrow for a jog with my friends so I'm gonna....zzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ_**

**_-Amaranthyz_**


End file.
